Anticipation
by Allyssa Cordell
Summary: The story of this year's state compitition...half of marching band is the waiting...
1. Introduction

Just some background to start you off...our band hasn't always been a competition band. In fact, until a few years ago we'd never gone to a single contest. Then, six years ago, the impossible happened...we made it to state. It was incredible for them...I never knew it myself, even my brother wasn't quite in high school yet. But they started a tradition that we've followed faithfully. My freshman year we qualified at our first competition!! But every year would bring the same fate...we'd go to state, and we'd get a II. An excellent rating isn't bad...but it could've been better. Every year we'd march our best, go up in the stands and wait in hushed anticipation for our scores...every year, the announcement would be "Wauseon, your overall rating is...two."  
  
The first few years it wasn't a big deal, they were thrilled just to have gone to state...but as we kept going, and kept getting twos, it got worse. By my sophomore year, I was sobbing all three hours home. This year we made it again. But this year we were determined to get that elusive one. It wasn't going to slip through our grasp yet again. This year, we would break all of our own records.  
  
In case you haven't figured it out, this is the story of this year's state competition, and how we broke all the rules...and came home champions. 


	2. morning of, bus trip, and practice

I got to typing last night, and got this chapter typed as well as part of the next. Unfortunately, this caused me to forget to do my homework...oops... Here's this chapter for now, the next may be up this weekend.  
  
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It was early Sunday morning when my dad came in to wake me up. "State today!! Go take a shower." Groaning, I dragged myself out of bed, grateful at least that we'd had the extra hour from daylight savings time. There'd been a party at my house the night before, and I hadn't gotten to sleep until late. I took my shower, got dressed in pajama pants and last year's state shirt, and grabbed my bag that I'd (not so neatly) packed the night before. Throwing a pillow and blanket over my arm, I was all set.  
  
Me, my dad (who was chaperoning) and my little brother got into the car and drove to the high school, where dozens of sleepy teenagers were gathering. I took my armload and dropped it onto a seat on the first bus, then went into the band room. I pulled my clarinet case from my locker and got my uniform. Picking up my black drillmasters from the floor, I loaded this stuff onto the bus as well. All was good in the world. I settled into my seat and, after going through to make sure I had everything I'd need, stuck my earphones in. Popped a CD into the player and I was perfectly content. Until I realized I'd picked the seat right behind all the guard girls...  
  
I lived through the guardies' escapades, reading, doing chemistry homework, and sleeping for the three hours down to West Carrolton High School, where we had arranged to get off and practice. We unloaded the pit equipment, got our instruments out, and went to the practice field. My reed was giving me issues, even though there shouldn't have been a problem with it...it felt like it wasn't broken in right, but it was the same one I'd used for the contest the week before. I dealt with it, hoping I could get it working better by showtime. We warmed up in squads, I had quite a problem getting mine to shut up long enough to play. We then arranged ourselves into lines for basics. We stretched a little, and did some 8 to 5 and 16 to 5 sets, just getting our feet back into good habits. Then we played through the songs a few times, and lined up to start the show. I hissed a few things to my section as they got into their spots, reminding them of things they needed to work on. We passed the message "remember arm and head" down the lines, at the beginning we have spots where we put out our arm, then turn our head. We marched out, and began the show.  
  
I personally had an awful run. I just wasn't in it, my reed was getting on my nerves, and I was paying too much attention to how the others in my section were doing to worry about myself. In the last set, I looked down our line to see one of the sophomore clarinets was completely out of the line...in fact, she was about halfway between the two lines!!  
  
We gathered around our band director, to hear what he had to say. I kinda ignored him at first, concentrating more on finding the people that I needed to talk to. Not only the soph clarinet, but one of the soph fluties needed to be told not to run me over in the opener. After Mr. B was done talking, we went back out to set zero to run it again. Again, my personal show was verging on abysmal. And the soph clarinet didn't make her last set any better. "get in your damn set, for godssakes!!" I muttered, probably entertaining the flutie standing next to me. The soph clarinetist was way down the row, there was no way she could hear me.  
  
Again as we gathered around Mr. B, I sought out the soph clarinetist, and the flutie who'd almost run me over again. When he'd stopped talking, we went back and put our instruments away, and ate lunch. The music boosters had bought Subway's subs for the whole band, and some of the parents had brought cookies and cupcakes. We settled down to eat, and I found myself talking to some people that I don't usually get a chance to talk to.  
  
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thanks for reviewin' so soon, parinet! I'm glad you like my stories!! 


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